


Spin Me Right 'Round

by sopdetly



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Dancing, Fluff, M/M, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 11:52:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6752821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sopdetly/pseuds/sopdetly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While he knows the important people and is even good friends with many of them, he still has never seen a sight quite like that of Hot Shot Ace Flyboy Poe Dameron dancing in the middle of a cheering crowd.</p>
<p>So yeah, he's staring. And where's the shame in that? It's quite a sight to behold.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spin Me Right 'Round

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [theemdash](http://archiveofourown.org/users/theemdash) and [jedimara77](http://archiveofourown.org/users/jedimara77) for the alpha and betas. Special thank you to Em for getting this sucker kicked off by asking me to just write 50 words about Poe dancing. 
> 
> This fic has two soundtracks, one of [hits from the 80s](https://open.spotify.com/user/filtr/playlist/0l92UabLyRHluwgys6k2fC), and one of [Disney love songs](https://open.spotify.com/user/popsugarlove/playlist/4znJJhlDpg87TnUuqUr7Zg). Use this knowledge wisely as you choose to scroll down.

He's vaguely aware that he's staring.

And, well, to be fair, a _lot_ of people are staring. Especially the new recruits who have only been on base three days and haven't really had a chance to get to know all the important people yet.

But Finn's been here for four months, and while he's well-acquainted with all the important people—which, in his opinion, means everyone who doesn't treat him like mynock droppings because he had the bad fortune to be, oh gee, _stolen from his family and forced into genocidal slavery_ —while he knows the important people and is even good friends with many of them, he still has never seen a sight quite like that of Hot Shot Ace Flyboy Poe Dameron dancing in the middle of a cheering crowd.

So yeah, he's staring. And where's the shame in that? It's quite a sight to behold.

With the wave of recruits and the anniversary of some old war battle (Finn is still trying to re-learn his history; is this one Endor? He'll have to ask Poe; Poe will definitely know), there's been a general feeling of optimism and merriment around the base, and then Blue Squadron came back from a recon mission with a cask of Subbanian brew, and one thing lead to another....

And now here they are. It's a warm night in the D'Qar springtime, and it seems like almost everyone on the base is outside on the tarmac, a few X-wings off to the side with their cockpits open to blast some music. The cask is well on its way to empty by now, and the stars are brightly shining, and Poe Dameron is in clingy pants and a tight short sleeve shirt that makes every single one of his dance moves catch Finn's eye.

There's a scrape of shoes over stone, and a body settles next to Finn. He looks over, startled, and then relaxes when he sees it's Snap.

"Horrifying," Snap says, shaking his head and crossing his arms, holding his half-filled cup of the Subbanian carefully.

Finn looks back at the crowd (at Poe). "Oh? Yeah. Just. Just terrible!" He hopes he's playing it cool. He's not always good at that, but Karé tells him it takes time to learn not to be a murderous cybot after twenty years of intense conditioning. Trying's what's important.

"He shouldn't be dancing alone," Snap says next, casually, like it's obvious.

"No?" Finn frowns. It doesn't look like Poe's really alone there, not with the more youthful and lively Resistance members crowding around him. At times they move as a single organism and Finn almost loses sight of Poe.

"Not _that_ dance, anyway. It's meant for two people, so he's doing one side of it." He lifts his drink, taking a long pull.

"Do you know the other side? Why don't you join him?"

Snap snorts into his cup, and the drink sprays a little onto Finn's arm. "Uh. Sorry. Um. No, I don't know the dance. Plus, I mean. If I got in there, I'd take all the attention from him. He'd put me on escort duty for a month."

"Oh." For a recon pilot like Wexley, escort duty is the second worst punishment over flat-out grounding. Finn thinks that escort duty might be interesting, if he ever learns how to fly. (When your best friends are two of the best pilots in the galaxy, it's easy to hitch a ride. But Finn's been itching for some more independence, anyway.)

"I bet he'd teach you, though." The casual tone is back, only it's maybe a little too smooth, and Finn's gut tells him Snap is up to something.

Finn shakes his head and laughs a little. "Right, can you imagine? I'd take the attention, too, but just because everyone'd be laughing too much!" He grins at Snap, who looks at him a little curiously.

"Finny-boy, I've seen your battle moves. You can dance if you want to."

"I'd either need a _lot_ more to drink or I'd need a private room."

Snap actually takes a second to consider the remains in his cup, but in the end (to Finn's relief) he doesn't make the offer. "Well. Commander Dameron can sweet-talk his way into a lot of places," he says, then gives Finn a clap on the shoulder as he walks away.

Finn's not exactly sure what just happened, but at least he's relatively alone again, and he can go back to basically staring. Now Poe's turned fully away from him, and the crowd has thinned, leaving Finn staring right at Poe's back, and as his hips sway to the sharp rhythm, the soft fabric of his trousers clinging as he moves, Finn decides that maybe he should get that drink anyway.

*

The Subbanian brew is, it is so strong! It's _gooood_ , too, which what makes it all the more dangerous.

Wait. What is this music? Finn looks around as there's a cheer from the crowd, and they're arranging themselves in, in lines? It looks like morning call for 'troopers, except instead of swearing fealty to the First Order, everyone starts moving as one, a coordinated dance that is almost perfectly synchronized.

It's probably the Subbanian's fault for the missteps he sees.

Finn watches the steps, the rhythmic claps of their hands and stomps of feet in time with the music. He feels, ridiculously, homesick for a home he never knew. If he hadn't been taken, would he know this dance? Could he join them? (Would he even be here, though, to see it?)

The lines of dancers shift, and then Finn hears a " _Buddy!_ " shouted at him, and there's Poe, breaking ranks and running over to him.

"C'mon, you gotta join us!" He's smiling widely, brighter than the X-wings' lights pouring over the tarmac. He grabs Finn's hand and starts tugging him back to the dancers.

"What? What! No!" Finn tries to hold his footing, but Poe is stronger than he looks, and Finn's feet skid on the tarmac, and he nearly loses his balance. "Hey! I don't know how!"

Poe steps closer again, letting Finn stand up straight. (He's still got Finn's hand.) "Who cares! Come on, Finn, you're a quick study in everything you try. You can manage a silly dance! I'll show you!"

Finn groans loudly, but the brew is in his veins and he laughs, too. He knocks back the rest of his drink and nods at Poe, letting himself be led back to the dancers. They join the end of a line, the other dancers shifting to keep the lines straight.

"Okay!" Poe points to the people in front of them. "You follow the steps, right? It's the same moves repeated, and we turn each time. Like now!" Poe jumps and turns mid-air, and Finn follows suit and is now is staring at Poe's back. He can see how the warm evening and the exertion of dancing has brought out a dark V of sweat down Poe's shirt. His hair, too, is damp and curlier than normal.

Oh. Dancing. Follow his moves.

He looks down and mimics the steps: right foot stomp, pick up and kick out then stomp again, then same with the left, then a crossover move? He knows he's missing the hands, but too soon there's another jump and mid-air turn, and now Poe's to his left, and Finn's watching one of the new recruits—Syal, he thinks her name is. But he looks over at Poe to maybe catch the hand movements this time.

But, well, he gets distracted. He's definitely watching Poe's hands, but he's really not retaining anything he's seeing. Poe has good hands, strong and clever and nimble, obvious hands for a pilot who can pull off insane moves in the air. (Hands that like to grab Finn's, pound on his back during embraces, squeeze his shoulder when Finn's worrying about Rey.)

Poe laughs at him, but it's not teasing. "No one cares if you get it wrong! Whatever you do, _don't_ watch Jess, because she _always_ gets it wrong."

Jess, who is apparently close enough to hear, curses out Poe loudly and fondly, and everyone is laughing now.

There's another jump, which Finn does without realizing that this puts Poe at his back. He figures it out quick enough, though, when Poe steps close, pressing against him as he reaches around, his fingers circling Finn's wrists.

"Here," Poe says into Finn's ear, not shouting anymore, but he can't quite whisper with the noise around them, either. "It's simple."

He's not wrong; the hand movements are pretty basic, mostly about clapping at the right time. But while he's showing Finn what to do with his hands, Poe hasn't stopped dancing with the lines, so his hips are—

Finn lets out a strangled choking sound, which he thinks is too soft to be heard by anyone. "Got it!" he says, a hint of desperation in his voice, and it's a huge relief when they have to jump again. Poe moves off him with ease, and now he's to Finn's right, and Finn is _very carefully_ watching the feet of the dancer in front of him. (How long is this song, anyway?)

It isn't too much longer, but long enough for Finn to finally have all the moves down by the time Poe's at his back again, so he doesn't need the help. As the last note fades out, the dancers leave formation and they start regrouping into their previous clumps and circles. Poe slings an arm around Finn's shoulder, then his hand comes up to rub Finn's head.

"Knew you'd get it quick," he says, and there's a pat to his head before Poe's arm drops down casually over Finn's shoulder and chest again. "Glad you joined us."

Finn grins at his friend, feeling flush and happy from the dancing. "Glad you don't think I'm weird for not knowing the dance."

Poe shakes his head, the hand not around Finn's shoulder coming up to pat Finn's chest, effectively hugging him for a moment. "No! Never! Not your fault, and it's fun to teach you!"

Which, of course, brings back to mind his earlier conversation with Snap. "You'd teach me more dances?"

There's a moment where Poe sort of stares, blinks, his mouth hanging open like a sleeping Hutt, but then he smiles, absolutely _beams_ at Finn, just as bright as Rey's after liberating the _Falcon_. Poe tightens the arm around Finn's shoulder to sorta hug his neck. "Anything you want, buddy!" He _hmmms_ , then adds, "I gotta find a good place to practice. Some cleaned out room. There's gotta be something in this old base."

"I have it on good authority," Finn says, "that you can talk your way into anywhere."

Poe's laugh builds from a surprised little chuckle into a full belly laugh, and Finn doesn't know what was so funny about that, but he laughs, too.

The Subbanian. It's very strong.

*

Finn's head is pounding in the morning, and he spends the morning clinging to his bed, afraid he'll fall off. He keeps his eyes closed tightly, last night's events parading loudly through his mind. He remembers when Snap got drunk a few months back, how Snap couldn't even remember the night before. Finn wonders if Poe is someone who forgets a night after Subbanian—might Poe have forgotten his promise to teach Finn how to dance? He's not sure what he wants the answer to be.

While the hangover from the brew's intense, it's also quick, and by mid-day Finn's perked up and feeling like doing more than sit in a dark room and half-read histories. He comes out of his quarters and looks up and down the hallway, trying to decide with at to do with his newfound energy.

Before anything good comes to mind, there's a squeak and a squeal, and BB-8 rolls over to him, slowing but still crashing into his legs. Before Finn can greet the droid he trills and twitters, and there's a sound of footsteps running. Finn and BB-8 both look back the way BB-8 came, and Poe comes jogging around the corner, his hair a bit more disheveled than normal, but at least he's back in his green jumpsuit and not in the casual outfit from last night.

"Hey, Finn! Glad I caught ya!" He steps around his droid and comes in for a hug, which Finn (gladly) returns. Poe's hugs aren't rare, though usually it's been more than half a day since they last saw each other.

"Yeah, man. Not like I'm too hard to find. A little earlier and you'd just have to knock on my door." He gestures over his shoulder with his thumb. "Please, tell me we don't drink that stuff very often?"

Poe chuckles softly, leaving one hand on Finn's shoulder. "Definitely not, which is why we tend to go a little overboard when the opportunity arises." He leans a little. "At least it wasn't something from Zucca 6. That'll send you into _days_ of recovery."

"That so? Maybe once we clear the galaxy of the First Order, and can take a few days to relax, we can try it?"

"All right, pal, it's a date." He steps back a little, his hand dropping away. "So...you've just gotten up?"

Finn nods, wincing a little bit. "Pretty much. First time I felt okay leaving my quarters. Is that bad?" It _is_ pretty late in the day. "Am I in trouble?"

"No! No no no!" Poe smiles easily, tapping his chest. "I'm only really just up, too. Well, I've been up an hour or so, but I think you had more to drink than I did. And you're not used to it." He shakes his head. "But don't worry, I think Jess and Karé are still crashed. Saw them stumbling back to Karé's quarters," he adds, waggling his eyebrows. Finn doesn't get it at first but then—

"Oh? Ohhhh." He laughs softly. "I've never noticed them before."

"No?" Poe brightens at that slightly, for some reason. "It might be pretty new, but they've been flirting for a while. Snap will be glad to know the dam burst. I mean, if it did."

Finn grins. "Are you glad, too?" He's quickly realized how different sexual encounters are out here in the galaxy than in the First Order. For starters, people out here actually _liked_ each other.

"As long as they're happy and can keep flying like they do, that's all that matters to me." He takes a deep breath and nods at Finn, then adds, "That's how I feel about all my friends. I want everyone at their happiest."

Finn's not sure what to say to that, but the sentiment settles on his shoulders, warm and comfortable like Poe's jacket. Poe smiles, warm and easy, and Finn finds it easy to return. The silence stretches, but doesn't intrude on their quiet moment. He startles when BB-8 beeps; he'd forgotten the droid was there.

"Right! I was gonna ask you if you needed food. There should still be a buffet out. They're good at feeding us well after a party like that."

That's when Finn realizes how hungry he actually is, and his stomach growls in agreement. "Food! Oh, man, yeah. That'd be great."

They head towards the mess, and it turns out that Finn had nothing to worry about with his timing. At least half the party-goers from last night are here, and while it's not loud, there is a low buzz that fills the room. Poe waves to people as they greet him, and Finn waves, too, which usually earns him one back for himself. He wouldn't say he's friends with everyone, but he's on good terms with most of the people in the room.

Today there seems to be a wider selection of food, and Poe explains that it's really part two of the party. First everyone drinks and dances, and today they eat and recover and remember that these kinds of things are the reasons they all fight for the Resistance. For the galaxy.

"Over here." Poe nods towards a corner of the room where there's a little more room, fewer people crowded at tables. Finn's surprised, sure that Poe would, like last night, like to be in the center of it all, but he follows happily. His head's still a little tight and foggy from last night, so fewer people is fine by him.

Usually Poe doesn't let a meal stop him from talking, but he's quiet today, focusing on the food and watching the room. If Finn wasn't so hungry himself he might be worried he'd done something to offend the pilot. But it's nice, too, for a comfortable silence. Everything on the base is loud—orders shouted, often over loud engines in the echoing hangars; top command arguing about strategy, talking over each other when they feel they're not heard; laughter and joviality right here in the mess, as everyone relaxes. Finn only gets silence when he's alone in his quarters at night, but then he's alone.

He looks up and sees Poe's stopped his surveying of the room and is looking at him, though his eyes cut away when Finn catches him. It makes Finn's cheeks warm, and he grabs his juice, drinks too much of the tart beverage and ends up coughing a little.

"All right, there?" Poe asks once his coughing has stopped. He doesn't look too concerned.

"Bit too much. Still getting used to, to some of these flavors." He taps his cup. "This is good, though. I like it."

Poe picks up the cup, and Finn thinks he's going to look inside to see what he's drinking, but Poe simply lifts it to his lips and takes a sip. "Mm, yes! Jasif. I like the fruit itself better, but it's good for waking you up in the morning." Poe grins. "Also super great for curing a hangover. Good choice, Finn."

Finn feels, strangely, very proud of himself. "So, jasif juice, lots of food. What else is good for the hangover?"

"Sleep, which you got." Poe's still holding Finn's cup, sort of rolling it gently between his palms. "In really bad cases, Kalonia's got some stuff, I'm sure." He licks his lips, leans forward as he talks. "Back home, back on Yavin 4? We had this root we'd take. It, honestly it tasted like four-day dead girou remains—and _don't_ ask how I know what that tastes like." He puts the cup down, punctuating his words; then he leans back and smiles, taking the edge off them again.

As Poe sits back, Finn leans in. "I can't promise I won't ask about that later."

Poe snickers, waves it off. "Anyway, you grind up the root, usually, put it in water? But one day," and now Poe starts laughing, "one day I've totally underestimated how strong this brew my friend Braxis made in his backyard. And my dad needed me to help him fix up a Y-wing, so I had to get over it even faster? So, I find the biggest root and I bite into a _huge_ chunk in one go."

His body is shaking with repressed laughter, and Finn reaches over to grab his wrists. "How awful was it?"

" _So. Awful!_ " Poe loses it now, leaning over with his laughing, his forehead dropping enough to rest on Finn's hand.

Finn laughs, too, and his heart races with something more than good humor. "But, well, did it work?"

Poe lifts his head, beaming, his cheeks flushed from laughing. "It got rid of the hangover, yes. But I learned that the reason we grind it up is because the root is mildly poisonous in larger amounts."

"Oh, no!" Poe is still chuckling, so Finn does, too. "How bad was it?"

"Two days, stuff coming out both ends." Poe makes a face and shakes his head. "No more details."

Finn laughs more. "Fair enough!"

"Look," says a rough voice from over Finn’s shoulder, "we're not gonna sit with you if you are all so loud and happy."

Finn and Poe both look up at the speaker, and Finn smiles to see it's Karé, glowering at them, and Jessika behind her, arm propped on Karé's shoulder, looking a little amused.

"Oh ho!" Poe shouts, his face just about splitting in two with his grin. "You're alive!"

Karé sits next to Finn, and Jess goes around next to Poe. "We're kind of alive," says Jess, taking the top off her cup; steam curls from it, pleased with its freedom. "I'd be happy to still be sleeping this off, but _someone_ insisted on eating."

"You'll thank me later," Karé promises, digging into her food.

Jess shrugs, but Finn can see the little smile on her face and he can suddenly think of a number of ways Jess might deliver those thanks. It makes him blush, and when Poe looks at him a little funny, he shakes his head.

The quartet eats in silence for a bit, out of respect for the women's continued aversion to sound, but that doesn't mean that it's not an interesting meal. Even if there's no confirmation yet of Poe's suspicions, Finn finds that he's watching the subtle ways Jess and Karé interact, and it's definitely clear that Poe might be entirely correct on the state of this relationship. There are quick glances, shy smiles (more from Jess, but as Karé eats she starts to return them more easily), and the occasional touch to a hand or wrist.

He feels eyes on him, and looking back at Poe reveals that Poe’s watching him watch the women, with a little smile on his face. Finn raises his eyebrows, silently asking if Poe is going to to say anything to them. Poe's brow knits together, a moment of confusion, and then his eyes widen and he shakes his head. Well, then Finn's glad he didn't say anything and sell them both out as gossip fiends.

"What are you doing today, Commander? Finn?" Karé asks, her eyes looking over to Jess. Finn thinks Jess nods, but he only catches it in the corner of his eye, so he can't be sure.

Poe leans over the table, angled slightly to include the women, and not only towards Finn like before. "I didn't really have any plans. I'm very open to suggestions."

Finn nods. "I just go where I'm told."

Poe's head snaps over to him, his mouth tight, but he doesn't say anything.

Karé smiles, and unlike Poe's soft smiles that leaves Finn leaning in and wanting more, hers is sharp and dangerous—though Finn can definitely see how someone might want some more of that.

"Good. Then we're going on a ride."

*

"We could have taken separate speeders."

"Nope. Finn's not licensed."

Finn rolls his eyes, but his arms are around Jess's waist as she pilots the speeder, Poe and Karé on the other one right next to them. "I could handle one of these!" he shouts over the engine and wind. He ducks his head back behind Jess's, letting her block some of the gusts. The shield on the helmet only does so much.

"Yeah you can, buddy!" Poe shouts back, taking a look back at him for a second to grin, then focuses ahead again. They're not going terribly fast, and they're on the edge of the forest, but eyes forward, pilot, always.

Jess is laughing, he can feel it, but he's not offended.

"Where are we going?" Finn asks, his voice quieter, not bothering to make sure the other speeder can hear him.

"Mystery trip!" She nods her head. "It'll be fun, promise. Nothing terrifying or life-threatening."

"Oh, really?" He sighs, feigning disappointment. "I'm just so used to risking my life with Poe, you see." Jess laughs harder at that, and Finn grins. "What?"

"Ah, Finn. Mr. Finn." She shakes her head, and Finn lets out a little noise of confusion. "You should try doing other things with your life."

Before he can say anything, Jess shouts over to their companions, "Hard right! Take it tight, there's a break in the trees!" To Finn she adds, "Hold on!"

He's barely tightened his arms around her slim waist before the speeder banks steeply, and Finn instinctively ducks his head away from the trees that suddenly are a danger to it.

He may let out a yelp.

But then they're vertical again, and in front of them, spread out in front of this small clearing, is a large, blue lake, sparkling in the afternoon sun as the wind set ripples loose over the surface. Finn's eyes widen, and his smile hurts his cheek. " _Wow_ ," he breathes out, and Jess laughs warmly.

"You're always gonna trust me now, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am!" It's beautiful, absolutely breathtaking out here, and as they approach the shore Jess slows down, heading out over the lake itself, adjusting their path towards a small stand of trees covering a little island.

A few minutes later, the four are off their speeders and standing at the water's edge, surveying this little bit of paradise they've found for themselves. Finn breathes in deeply, and even though the Resistance base is surrounded by trees, out here with the water and moss-covered logs it smells more like trees than anything else he's ever smelled in his life.

Right here, right now, he can pretend that the First Order doesn't exist. That he's just some guy who's come out for a fun afternoon with his friends.

Maybe. Maybe someday it'll be true. He decides to make it a promise to himself: when the First Order is done, he'll come back here with Poe—Rey, too, because she would love this—and they'll simply have _fun_.

An arm slides over his shoulders. "Seem lost in thought, there, pal," Poe says. He speaks softly, like he's not really trying to intrude.

"Beautiful," Finn murmurs, and his own arm slips behind and around Poe, hand resting easily on Poe's hip.

He can feel Poe tense up a little next to him, for a moment, then he breathes out and relaxes again. His hand leaves Finn's shoulder to press against the side of Finn's head, and that pulls Finn closer to let their heads bump together.

Yeah, Finn's always gonna trust Jess on her mystery trips from now on.

"Hey you two!" Karé steps in front of them, waving her hand to get their attention. "You gonna stare at it all day, or are you gonna swim with us?"

  
Finn straightens up, looks over, and for sure, Jess is pulling off her shirt. He realizes now that Karé's already down to her skivs. His heart beats faster, and then he steps away to look at Poe, who shrugs and also starts pulling off clothes. "Um."

Poe looks at Finn and frowns, but his shirt pops over his head. "Oh," he says, and he looks out at the water, then back at Finn.

"What?" Karé asks. She's barechested now, jumping a little as the cool breeze hits her skin. "Shy?" she asks, directed to Finn, but she's not taunting him.

Finn scratches the back of his head. "Well. I've never...." He gestures to the water.

Poe throws his shirt at Finn's head. "Don't sweat it, buddy."

Jess nods, looking a little sheepish. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't think! But it's not deep right away. We can stay close." She smiles. "I'm pretty sure at least one of us won't let you drown."

Finn throws Poe's shirt back at him. "Yeah. Karé, right?"

Poe grins. "She's excellent at water rescue. You should ask her, sometime, about that incident in the Republic base pool."

"Dameron, you keep your mouth _shut_ ," Karé says, a touch of embarrassment in her tone. Her tan cheeks pinken, and she turns away, her hands lifting to tangle in her short, blonde hair.

"You'll owe me to do so," Poe says, and Jess is snickering. "But you," he turns to Finn, "should really get out of those clothes, because you _are_ going in the water, and wet clothes are _really_ uncomfortable."

While Finn hesitates, Jess grabs Karé's hand and leads her off towards a pile of boulders. Poe bends down to start untying his boots, and Finn's caught for a moment, the curve of Poe's back a different view than he's used to. It's a nice view. Really nice view.

Finn takes a deep breath and starts undressing himself, starting with his own boots, then shirt and pants. Following Poe's cue he leaves his skivs on, and he tries not to feel awkward when the breeze makes his skin break out in pimples. "I hope that water's warm," he mutters.

Poe grins. "It probably is a little chilly. Will be at first, anyway. I say just run in. To about your hips? Then duck under and back up." He steps behind Finn, hands going to Finn's shoulders and squeezing, then he gives Finn a little nudge of encouragement.

Finn runs.

The water is _cold_. Poe Dameron is a dirty liar.

When Finn's done shouting good-natured curses at Poe and splashing him a few times, he finds that as long as he moves around and gets as deep as he dares, the water does warm up fairly quickly. Poe is surprisingly at home in the water, as he swims around Finn easily, ducking below the surface to sneak up on him somewhere else. Finn walks in until the water is at his chest, and that's probably enough for now.

"All right. Have you ever been in the water at all? Do you think you can float on your back?"

Finn rests his palm on the surface of the water, feeling how if he relaxes, his hand is supported, but just the slightest pressure pushes it below. It seems impossible that his weight could stop him from sinking.

Poe must see the doubt on his face, because he chuckles and leans back, kicking his feet up and spreading his arms, finding the right balance immediately. "You'll float, Finn. Promise." He closes his eyes for a moment, and Finn watches as he very slowly glides past. One hand absently brushes against Finn's chest, and Finn takes the moment to study pieces of his friend that he's not used to seeing. There are more scars than he'd expected—one long one down Poe's left side, another one on his right thigh is short but it looks newer; Finn only has the one on his back.

"I want to try," he says quickly, and Poe is immediately back on his feet.

"I've got you. Lie back into my hands, and when you're steady, I'll pull back. If you go under, I promise I'll pull you right back up."

Finn nods. "I trust you, buddy," he says (maybe a bit more fondly than he meant, but Poe's bright smile is worth it). He leans back, and when he can't really anymore he kicks his feet up and—

And immediately his backside starts sinking like a rock.

But as promised, Poe is right there, one hand steadying his upper back, the other at the small, gently lifting Finn's hips back to the surface. "I've got ya, pal," he says, chuckling. Finn realizes he's grabbed onto Poe's arm and he relaxes his grip. Slightly.

He can feel when his body starts to float, when his muscles relax enough to match the buoyancy, and he squeezes Poe's arm. "Okay. Let go." He feels Poe's hands drop away, and this time he stays at the surface, only his legs drifting just below the water. He grins up at the sky, and for a moment it feels like he's floating in the air, part of the clouds. He wonders if this is how Poe feels when he's twisting and turning in his X-wing, losing that grip on gravity for moments at a time.

There's a soft splash, and he can tell Poe's on his back again. It's so peaceful. He says as much to Poe, who hums in agreement. He can hear noise from Karé and Jess, but it's way off in the distance, sounding even further away than they probably really are. This moment is almost perfect.

Fingers brush against his own as a gentle wave bumps into him. Finn manages to stay afloat, and the hand doesn't move away from his.  He doesn't know if it's deliberate or if Poe doesn't realize how often they touch. He likes the idea that it's deliberate.

"I wish this was all there was," he says, his voice soft and almost shy. It seems selfish to wish that, in light of the reality.

"Know what you mean," Poe replies, and that relaxes Finn. "I mean, I'd need a plane to go flying, too, but we could use that to fly from lake to sea and back again."

He moves his hand slightly and lets his little finger wrap over one of Poe's. "Did you know we were coming out here today?"

"Nope. This was all Jess and Karé."

Finn thinks about them, about what Finn was saying earlier. "So, do you think they...?" He doesn't really know _what_ , exactly, if it's only about stress relief and normal physical needs, or if there's something deeper between them.

Poe makes a thoughtful sound, and his hand turns under Finn's so they can press their palms together. "I don't know. Hard to tell. They seemed like normal when we were eating, though Karé's a bit on edge. Was thinking it might be the hangover first, but...I dunno."

"Is it, would it be polite to ask?" You didn't ask the 'troopers, but it was never more than physical needs, so it never really mattered who was pairing up. (Or grouping. There was one time he was with Nines and Zeroes and the woman from CR division who always dominated hand-to-hand combat evals. But Finn was an outsider then, too, really.)

"I...I'm gonna let them tell us, if there's anything to tell, when they're ready." He squeezes Finn's hand. "It's okay if it takes time to be ready," he adds, his voice soft and gentle. Finn gets the distinct impression that Poe's not just talking about Jess and Karé.

After a comfortable silence, Poe speaks again. "So, you think you've got floating figured out now? Want me to teach you how to swim?"

Finn laughs, and he almost falls out of the float, but he holds it. "Now you're gonna teach me to swim? What about those dancing lessons, though? Trying to get out of that, flyboy?"

Now Poe flails a little and stands up. "So you _do_ remember that! You didn't say anything, I thought you'd forgotten!"

Finn rights himself, too, turning to face Poe. "Well _you_ didn't say anything, either! I thought you'd forgotten or, or decided it was a terrible idea."

Poe laughs and leans forward, dropping his head on Finn's shoulder. "Buddy, I found a room and a time. Tomorrow night, after last meal, all right? Does that sound good?"

Finn's about to say that it sounds great when there's a loud cheer and splash to their left, and when they look over, they see Karé and Jess swimming in their direction.

*

One of the things Finn has enjoyed most about D'Qar has been its night sky. When you're busy being trained to fight the galaxy, you don't get many options to look up and actually _see it_. This planet is far out from the center of the galaxy, almost to the Outer Rim, and Poe says the nice thing about that is that there's more space between the stars, which means you can see more individual stars at night.

They're also in the right place to see the thick band of the galaxy. The four of them crawled back to land, on a small beach Poe found a little ways around the edge of the island, and as they're stretched out on their backs, tired from an afternoon in the water, they can see it rise in an arc over the western sky. Finn is breathless, remembering that the bright light is millions and millions of stars, planets, and _life_. Life he was trained to—

As if he was projecting his thoughts, there's a hand on his head, petting him lightly, and he comes back to the present. Here, here on D'Qar, he's learning to use his training to _save_ that life out there.

Finn turns his head to look to his side, and Poe's rolled up on his side, smiling at him. "You're back."

He almost denies leaving, but then he nods. "Yeah. Thanks." He wants to ask how Poe knew, but one of the women giggles, and he decides it's too much of an audience.

Poe's smile becomes a charming grin, and he moves his hand off the top of Finn's head to run over his face, and Finn laughs, trying to move his face away. In the playful struggle, he sees something over Poe's shoulder, and he rolls onto his side so he's fully facing Poe. (And closer than he expected, really. Almost nose to nose. Poe smells like the lake. Maybe they both do.)

"They're kissing," he whispers, the words barely audible.

Poe's eyebrows end up nearly hidden in his messy curls. "They are?" He starts to look over, but Finn grabs his shoulder and keeps him in place.

"They'll tell when they're ready," he reminds Poe.

Poe nods. "You're right. Good man, Finn." There's a moment of hesitation, and then Poe brings his hand up to lightly brush at Finn's bottom lip with his thumb. Finn doesn't move, not quite sure what's happening (he thinks he knows what he wants to be happening), and then Poe says, "Sand."

"Oh."

Oh.

*

The morning after the trip to the lake, Finn feels a little hungover again. No headache, but he doesn't really feel connected to the ground. It's like he never quite stopped floating.

They're back in the regular swing of things, and Finn spends his morning like he always does: training with the Pathfinders, checking in with Brance for any new intel about the First Order, and then a visit to whatever briefing is being held, if he can talk his way in. Usually Poe's in the briefing and pulls Finn in, too, but today Poe isn't there, and Ackbar and Organa are quick to shoo him away.

He doesn't push. No need to overstay his welcome.

With this free time, he heads to the hangars, thinking he can find Poe there, maybe take afternoon meal with the pilots—find _something_ to distract him from thinking about the plans for that evening. But the hangar is quieter than normal, and there are fewer X-wings around.

And he doesn't see Poe. Or anyone from Red Squadron.

He does see Snap, so he hurries over, about to ask what's happened, but Snap looks up and smirks at Finn.

"No lunch date today, Finny-boy," Snap says, and he's teasing and apologetic all at once.

"What's going on?" Finn's voice is tense, despite Snap's relative ease. What kind of mission would pull Poe away so fast that he couldn't say goodbye?

"Poe and L'ulo and the Reds are up evaluating the new pilot recruits," Snap explains, and Finn feels himself relax immediately. "They'll be up there until the light goes, probably. I think Poe wants to save the night-flying for another day. For some reason," he adds, and his eyes definitely suggest that he knows about Poe's plans after last meal.

"All right. That's good, that's all right." Finn looks around, not quite sure what to do with himself now. "So, um, what are you working on today?" he asks, not wanting to treat Snap like he only matters as a Poe-locator.

"Prepping for some recon." Snap explains that they're finally starting to hear rumors of centralized First Order activity, and even though it's hopefully in the very early stages, Organa and Ackbar want eyes on it. "Not setting off quite yet, at least a week out, but she still needs some repairs after Starkiller." He pats the side of his X-wing fondly.

"How long will you be gone?" Finn knows Poe isn't a recon man, they save him for preparing and leading the missions, but the sooner they get the information, the sooner one of those missions might kick off.

Snap shrugs. "I think it'll be fast. If there's a lot of First Order presence there, they'll probably just recall us so we can plan out a longer recon event."

Finn nods. "Well, keep me informed, if you can? I mean, not if it's need to know, obviously..."

Snap slaps him on the back, rough and hard, harder than Poe ever makes those gestures, though he doesn't think it has anything to do with either man's relative strength. "You'll be in the know. After this, though, I've got a _very_ important assignment to tackle."

"Oh? What's that?"

Snap's grin is almost dangerous. "I'm making a dance music mix for my Commander. For some reason."

Finn feels his cheeks warm, and even worse, he can feel himself smile at the effort Poe has clearly put into this. "Okay. Well then. Suppose I should, um, leave you alone to, ah. Do that."

Finn tries to not look too awkward as he hurries out of the hangar, and he doesn't look back to see if Snap is laughing at him. Because he figures Snap is probably laughing at him.

*

Poe radios a message for Finn to eat on his own and meet him in a certain room about an hour after last meal; Poe and L'ulo are going to help the new recruits put away their fighters for the night, and that will take some extra time.

Honestly, it's probably for the best that he doesn't have to face Poe before he gets to the room. Finn is unexpectedly nervous, and he'd hate it if he embarrasses himself.

The room Poe has secured is pretty hidden in the depths of the base, buried deep in the hillside, and not someplace Finn has seen before. And Finn has walked all over this base, or so he thought. He's glad, though, because it means it's probably unlikely they'll be disturbed. He's not sure if he'd be only embarrassed or actually angry if they were interrupted.

When he arrives, Poe's already there and is pacing around the middle of the room. At first Finn thinks that Poe is practicing some dance steps, but then he realizes that Poe is truly pacing. Sort of...nervously? The idea of a nervous Poe is actually calming to Finn, and also rather sweet. He smiles brightly and walks through the door, making sure to make a lot of noise. "Hey!"

Poe spins around, his hair flying loose and the biggest smile on his face. "Oh, good! I was worried you might not find this place. I was probably gonna go find you, but then I worried that if you got here and I _wasn't_ here you might think you got it wrong and—" He coughs, interrupting himself. "Anyway. You're here."

The door slides shut behind Finn as he walks further in, and now Finn notices how warm it is in here. "I'm here. I'm glad you didn't have to cancel to do night flying with the recruits."

"Yeah! Me, too." Poe shrugs, his grin turning cocky. "Well, Commander rank gives you some pretty nice perks, like being able to tell everyone to get to ground so I can go teach my buddy how to dance." He rubs his hands together. "Okay! Let's start by warming up with that one we did the other night. See if you remember it."

He goes over to a pile of old electronics in the corner of the room, which is where he's put a speaker, and when he turns it on there's a moment of silence before the music kicks on. Poe's into the rhythm immediately, dancing back over to Finn with swaying hips and flashing hands.

Finn does remember the steps pretty well, so he picks it up and then they're next to each other, laughing as they make the simplest line possible, but clearly the line having the most fun.

When the music changes, Poe takes a moment to identify the new piece, and then he's showing Finn the newest steps. There are a number of songs like the first one, where there are specific steps and hand movements, and Finn can imagine everyone on base moving as one to the beat. This is the only way he ever wants to move in lines again.

One song comes on and Poe whoops in excitement. "I didn't know Snap had this song!" Finn can only watch Poe jump around for a few moments, until he settles to the front and left of Finn. "Okay! So. You'll jump left!" They jump in unison, and then Finn follows as Poe makes a step right. "Then your hands go on your hips and you bring your knees in."

Finn mimics the motions. "Like this?" he asks, looking at his knees.

"No, tighter."

The rest of the dance is utterly ridiculous, and they can only get through it once at full speed before Finn buckles in laughter, clutching his belly and howling even louder when Poe collapses against the wall, equally lost to the silliness.

They've mostly calmed to the occasional giggle, when the next song comes on, and both of their eyes widen in recognition.

"Hey! This is that one!" Finn says, as Poe scrambles to his feet, running as though he wants to stop the music. "No! No no no!" Finn protests, hurrying over to Poe to stop him from stopping it. "Snap said there's another part to the dance? You were only doing one half of it?"

Poe hesitates, but he leaves the song to play. "Yeah, there is. But it's...it's not the same as the others."

Finn shrugs. "That's fine. I think I can handle it," he adds, smirking.

Poe rubs his hand over his mouth, maybe hiding a laugh? "I'm _sure_ you can, Finn. It's just that..." He gestures to the speaker. "Traditional old Alderaanian dance. Not many people know it anymore, you know, but my, um, my parents knew someone from Alderaan who taught it to them." Poe's eyes soften, and Finn can tell he's not entirely in the room with him right now. "Saw my parents dance it so many times as a kid."

He wants to ask more about Poe's parents, but Poe is grabbing his arm and pulling him back into the center of the room. "Okay. You basically mirror my movements. That's the simplest version of the dance, the only one you can really teach anyone." He puts his hands up, palms facing Finn, and Finn puts own hands against Poe's. Poe chuckles and pulls his hands back slightly. "No touching. That's part of it."

It seems simple enough. It starts with a few steps from side to side, some arm gestures into the air and back down, but then it picks up with a few half-turns and two-steps. Finn's a half-moment behind as he follows Poe's movements, not bad for a first-timer, and on the next round they are almost exactly in sync. Not touching, though, that's trickier. Poe stays close, and Finn keeps brushing against his hands or feet (and one time he knocks himself off balance and their shoulders crash together).

"What makes it different," Poe explains once they're moving more smoothly, "is that once you've done the dance with the same person a lot, you start to improvise a bit. Add extra flourishes, change a few moves. But you still have to stay in sync. So it's...when you see a pair who can really make this dance _interesting_ , you know that they have a very special bond, can read each other so well."

Finn can't imagine that. It's hard enough keeping these moves straight with all the other dances he's learned tonight. Trying to anticipate what Poe might do seems quite difficult.

"Like I said, I saw my parents do this dance, ay, millions of times." He smiles softly. "It was never the same twice."

They keep dancing quietly, neither of them trying to improvise, until the song fades out. Poe clears his throat and runs his hand through his hair. "I think that's—" Another song starts, and Poe's eyes widen, his cheeks growing pink and his ears in particular getting red. The song is much slower than any of the others, and Finn can't imagine dancing to it like they have been. " _Snap_ , you little—" Finn isn't exactly sure which language Poe is swearing in, but he gets the gist.

"Can we dance to this, too?" he asks.

Poe looks at him carefully, eyes roaming from top to bottom as he bites his lip, then nods. "We can. It's different, but I can show you." He takes a little step away from Finn, then holds out a hand to him. "Follow my lead, don't worry about specific steps."

Finn takes Poe's hand, not quite sure what he means, but Poe pulls him in, moving Finn's other hand around his waist, and putting his own hand on Finn's hip. They start sweeping around the small room, and Finn finds himself watching Poe's feet for a moment, but soon his eyes are up to Poe's face; it's actually easier this way, Poe's right.

This is, well, it's certainly different from everything else they've done tonight. Finn can't imagine a group of people doing this, not without bumping into each other, and anyway there doesn't really seem to be room for more than two in this dance.

Side to side, forwards and back; there's no specific pattern to the dance that Finn can pick up, but it's still very rhythmic and soothing. It's easy to follow Poe, though the first time Poe tries to twirl Finn under his arm, he gets confused and doesn't duck and Poe's forearm smacks into his head. They both laugh, and Poe tugs him closer, into an embrace. He still has Finn's hand in his, but they stop moving, instead swaying in place with Poe's arm around his waist and their temples bumped together lightly.

He can feel Poe's breath lightly on his ear, and even though they're moving the least that they have all night, Finn's heart is racing faster than it has all night, too. Their clasped hands are captured between their chests, and Poe is softly humming to the song. Finn swallows, a question coming to mind.

He whispers it, because it feels right that way. "Do you think Karé and Jess would dance like this?"

"Mmm." Poe considers it. "They might, yeah. If they had the chance."

Finn's fingers, at Poe's waist, curl into his shirt a little more, holding on as he asks another question. "Do you think, if they did, they'd kiss while dancing?"

"Probably. Yeah, sure."

Finn swallows again, too many thoughts running through his head. "Poe?"

"Yeah, Finn?"

Finn pulls his head back, wanting to look at Poe, see his face. He's not sure what expression he'll find, but he probably should've figured Poe was smiling. It's not his huge grin or sly smirk, not filled with laughter and not teasing. It's a soft smile, barely a pull at the corner of his lips and living mostly in his warm, brown eyes.

He starts to say Poe's name again, hoping it'll draw Finn's from Poe's mouth again, too (the first mouth to ever say his name), but before he can, that mouth is on his, pressing a soft kiss that honestly lasts almost no time at all. Did it even really happen? He thinks so, because now there's the slightest tension in Poe's face, like he's scared of how Finn will react.

Finn reacts by leaning in and returning the kiss, making it as soft and short before he pulls back again and they stare at each other.

It's a drawn-out moment, and the music is still playing but Finn can't hear it, not really.

And then Poe laughs, his face lighting up like it does so often when they see each other for the first time in a day (or second, third, fourth...), and he moves his hand from Finn's back to cup his cheek, and this time when his thumb brushes over Finn's lip, Finn _knows_ there's no sand there. He doesn't know if one of them leans in more than the other, but this time the soft kiss lingers, and all Finn can feel is Poe's lips on his, Poe's fingers on his cheek, and their hands being squeezed harder between them as they try to press closer, closer still.

*

The music ended hours ago, but it feels more like both days and minutes all at once. Poe's sitting back against a wall and Finn is seated between his spread legs, back to Poe's chest and Poe's arms around his waist, keeping him there right where Finn wants to be.

They keep trading kisses, mostly lazy ones, sweet ones that make Finn feel like he's floating or flying or otherwise momentarily untethered from the ground. Sometimes the kisses lose their laziness and grow more intense, and Poe teaches him that sometimes dancing can be for two tongues and two pairs of lips. Finn's heart sets a new rhythm that makes him want to dance and lie down all at once.

Finn traces his fingers along Poe's arm, watching the hairs rise under his touch. They've barely spoken, save to whisper each other's name a few times, and he almost hates to break this spell, but he has to ask a question.

"Are you going to tell people?"

Poe happens to be nuzzling his nose under Finn's ear as he speaks, so there's a funny gasp of air in the middle of that sentence, but Poe seems to understand.

"Maybe. Not until we're ready, though."

Finn turns his head so he can look into Poe's eyes. "Do you think they'll know, anyway?"

Poe's smile is even nicer now that his lips are red from kissing. "I hope they will."

Finn chuckles. "Yeah. Me, too." He kisses Poe again, and he has no more questions, other than to wonder what Poe is going to teach him next.


End file.
